Shaquille O’ Neal On How He Learned About Another Side Of The Hamptons With Killer Bees
Retired NBA star – and Killer Bees film Executive Producer – Shaquille O’Neal with the filmmakers and coach Carl Johnson during a visit to the Bridgehampton School on Friday, 8/10/18
“If I marry a Queen, will I be a King?” jokes icon Shaquille O’ Neal. To many, he’s already a king. He is one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the NBA. He’s now the voice of his animated self in The Lego Movie, The Simpsons and will soon be seen in 2019’s What Men Want, a remake of the 2000 hit What Women Want.
For now, Shaq is here to talk about getting into the producer’s chair for Killer Bees. An inspiring look at an African-American basketball team in the Hamptons.
Having never personally been there, the film provides an inspiring insight to the flipside of what we know about the Hamptons — that rich, sandy, celebrity, expensive getaway, a few hours outside New York, where the rich and famous go to spend their summers.
Killer Bees looks at the Bridgehampton basketball players who want to prove to the elite and wealthy why they are important and why they matter in the community where affordable housing has become a rare commodity and the wealthy question the need for public schools. Killer Bees looks at the contrast and the fighting spirit of these kids who want to be the best and do the best. It’s a fascinating and hopeful look.
I’m sure you get pitched a lot of stories for basketball and sports, but what was it in particular about this one that made you say yes?
It was basketball related and of course, I love that. The basketball team was very similar to my high school basketball team. It was respected within the community. The coaches and that alcohol problem, I had similar situations that I could relate to. I had no idea though that there was a whole other side to the Hamptons that was not rich.
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